There are essentially three general prior methods by which disabled motorcycles are transported.
The first prior method generally involves attaching a disabled motorcycle behind a moving vehicle, such as a car or a truck, and towing the disabled motorcycle. In most such prior devices, the front wheel of the motorcycle is secured to a rigid frame which, in turn, is pivotably attached to the towing vehicle. The rear wheel of the motorcycle typically remains supported by the roadway, and rolls along behind the towing vehicle. Typically the securing frame is detachably attached by means of a trailer hitch to the towing vehicle's rear bumper or undercarriage.
A problem of this prior method of transporting motorcycles is that the front wheel may be too damaged to seat securely into the rigid frame. Another problem of this prior method of transporting motorcycles is that the rear wheel may be too damaged to roll behind the towing vehicle, particularly at higher speeds. Another problem of this prior method of transporting motorcycles is that the additional load (drag) caused by the trailing motorcycle may make steering of the towing vehicle difficult. Another problem of this prior method of transporting motorcycles is that the overall combined length of the towing vehicle and trailing motorcycle is necessarily longer than the length of the towing vehicle alone, and, therefore, makes driving and parking of the combination difficult. Another problem of this prior method of transporting motorcycles is that it is very difficult, and in some cases virtually impossible, to operate the "towing vehicle" in reverse when the disabled motorcycle is attached in the described manner.
A second prior method of transporting disabled motorcycles generally involves placing the entire motorcycle onto a trailer which, in turn, is pivotably attached to the towing vehicle. Typically the motorcycle trailer is detachably attached via a trailer hitch to the towing vehicle's rear bumper or undercarriage.
This (second) prior method of transporting disabled motorcycles has as an advantage (over the first mentioned prior method) that it can be used to transport motorcycles whose wheels are damaged. Otherwise, this (second) prior method of transporting disabled motorcycles has associated with it all of the problems mentioned above in reference to towing the motorcycle. In addition, this method has the further disadvantage of necessitating that the disabled motorcycle be lifted or rolled up onto the trailer. Additionally the trailer itself must necessarily be constructed so as to comply with state and federal safety standards relating to towed vehicles, which renders the trailer relatively expensive. In addition, because the trailer must be constructed so as to safely travel over highways, the elevation of the bed of the trailer (i.e. the elevation to which the disabled motorcycle must be lifted), is necessarily fairly high. Thus, in most cases, at least two persons are necessary to provide enough strength to lift (or roll) the disabled motorcycle onto the trailer.
A third prior method of transporting disabled motorcycles involves placing the entire disabled motorcycle onto the back of a truck. Because the beds of most trucks are so high (e.g. several feet above the roadway), this is rarely done in practice using fixed bed trucks. A variation of this method of transporting disabled motorcycles is the use of roll-back tow trucks. Roll-back tow trucks have a flat bed which can be powered so as to extend backwards over the rear of the truck and tilt down until the rear of the bed touches the ground. Typically, roll-back tow trucks are provided with a power winch which is used to drag a disabled vehicle up onto the (inclined) truck bed. Once a disabled vehicle is pulled onto the truck bed, the truck bed may be powered back to its standard (forward and horizontal) position. Roll-back tow trucks are most commonly used for transporting disabled cars. When roll-back tow trucks are instead used for transporting disabled motorcycles, several problems are typically encountered. A most significant problem with prior methods of using roll-back tow trucks to carry disabled motorcycles is that at least two persons are required to get the motorcycle onto the bed of the truck. This is because the controls for the winch, the roll-back, and the tilting function are all located at a considerable distance from the disabled motorcycle itself. Thus, it is necessary, using this prior method, for one person to operate the two truck's power controls while a second person is required to steady the motorcycle and to hold it upright. Another problem with prior methods of using roll-back tow trucks to carry disabled motorcycles is that once on the tow truck's bed, it is difficult to keep the motorcycle steady and upright when the truck is in motion.